Peace deal signed for eastern DR Congo

DR Congo's east has been ravaged by conflict involving armed groups for the past two decades.

Reuters: Goran Tomasevic

Regional African leaders have signed a deal aimed at bringing peace and stability to the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo after decades of unrest.

Eleven countries in the Great Lakes region - including those accused of stoking trouble by backing rebel groups - signed on to the accord at a ceremony in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa in the presence of UN chief Ban Ki-moon.

DR Congo's mineral-rich east has been ravaged by conflict involving numerous armed groups for the past two decades, with new rebel movements spawned on a regular basis.

"It is my hope that the framework will lead to an era of peace and stability for the people of the Democratic Republic of Congo and the region," Mr Ban said.

But he added: "It is only the beginning of a comprehensive approach that will require sustained engagement."

The presidents of the DR Congo, South Africa, Mozambique, Rwanda, Congo and Tanzania were present for the signing, along with envoys from Uganda, Angola, Burundi, the Central African Republic and Zambia.

The accord calls for regional countries to refrain from interfering in each other's affairs and aims to encourage the reform of weak institutions in the DRC, central Africa's largest country.

It could also lead to the creation of a special UN intervention brigade in eastern DR Congo to combat rebel groups as well as new political efforts.

Neighbouring states, including Rwanda, Burundi and Uganda, have regularly been accused of meddling in the region, with the illegal extraction of its valuable minerals as one of their motivations. They deny the accusations.

A first attempt to get the peace agreement signed last month was called off at the last minute after a disagreement over who would command a new regional force that will be deployed in eastern Congo and take on armed groups operating in the region

The DR Congo is the biggest and most populous country in central Africa and has enormous but largely untapped potential mineral wealth including copper, oil, diamonds, gold, silver, zinc and uranium.